A historic ring, a gift from national hero Juan Pablo Duarte to his fiancée, has been recovered by authorities after a brazen theft from the Instituto Duartiano Museum, Diario Libre reported. The ring, along with another valuable piece, was stolen from a display case by a man posing as a tourist on a guided tour.
The incident occurred on August 5, 2025, when the man entered the Instituto Duartiano in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City, pretending to be interested in a guided tour. According to a statement from the Public Ministry, the man took advantage of a moment of distraction to slip into an exhibition hall and steal two gold rings from a display.
One of the stolen rings bears the image of Juan Pablo Duarte, the founding father of the Dominican Republic. The second, and arguably more significant piece, is a ruby ring that Duarte gifted to his fiancée, Prudencia Lluberes Álvarez. Both rings are considered part of the Duarte Institute’s historical patrimony.
The investigation led police to a suspect identified as Manuel Alejandro Féliz Rodríguez, who goes by the alias “el Cojo.” Féliz Rodríguez, who has a distinctive limp, was identified on 9 August 2025 by members of the C4 Investigation Procedures Division from surveillance footage showing him at the museum on the day of the theft.
He was later spotted walking on Isabel La Católica street, and an officer stopped him for questioning. Féliz Rodríguez reportedly admitted to visiting the museum, stealing the rings, and selling them at a pawn shop on Mella Avenue.
Authorities confirmed that he sold one of the rings for a mere RD$3,000 (roughly US$51)and the other for RD$15,500 (about US$264), which he received via bank transfer.
Manuel Alejandro Féliz Rodríguez was arrested on 11 August and is now facing charges for theft and robbery. The Public Ministry has requested preventive detention, citing violations of articles 379 and 384 of the Dominican Penal Code.
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Diario Libre
14 August 2025